RV Parks In Shaver Lake, California

The main RV base is Camp Edison, a 252-site lakeside campground run as a Southern California Edison concession, with full-hookup sites in one section and electric sites across the rest, plus a dump station, store, and showers. The public alternative is Dorabelle Campground, a Forest Service campground of about 68 sites right at the lake with water and vault toilets but no hookups. Swanson Meadow is a small primitive Forest Service option up the highway. For most RVers the choice comes down to Camp Edison for hookups and amenities or Dorabelle for a simpler, cheaper public site by the water.

Partly. Camp Edison has 252 sites, and the full-hookup sites with water, sewer, and electric are a specific block, sites 133 through 175. The remaining sites have electric hookups only. To book a full-hookup site you need an RV equipped with water, sewer, and electrical connections. The Forest Service campgrounds at the lake, Dorabelle and Swanson Meadow, have no hookups at all, just drinking water and vault toilets. So if you want full hookups at Shaver Lake, target the 133 to 175 block at Camp Edison and reserve as early as you can, because those sites are the first to go.

Camp Edison opens summer reservations on the second Monday of January at 8am, and it uses a randomized lottery: everyone who is online when booking opens is placed in a random order rather than a first-click race. Summer weekends and holidays fill almost immediately, so come in with several backup date ranges and be flexible on site number. There is a two-night minimum and a fourteen-night maximum stay. If you miss out, Dorabelle Campground at the lake books separately through Recreation.gov and is your best public backup. Plan this one in January, not the week before your trip.

Camp Edison sites generally run in the $40 to $70 a night range depending on hookups and season, with full-hookup sites at the top end and summer weekends commanding peak rates. Dorabelle and the other Forest Service campgrounds are cheaper, typically around $30 to $50 a night for a site without hookups. Free dispersed camping in the surrounding Sierra National Forest costs nothing if you are self-contained and carry a California Campfire Permit. The lake is a popular, in-demand destination, so the value play is the public Forest Service sites or a shoulder-season trip rather than a peak summer holiday weekend.

June through September is the prime season for warm, dry weather and full services, with cool nights thanks to the 5,400-foot elevation. Our favorite window is September: the days stay warm, the summer crowds thin out after Labor Day, the fishing is good, and rates ease before the seasonal closures. Spring is quiet but cold with high water, and campgrounds only reopen as the snow melts, usually by May. Winter shuts most camping down and turns the area into a snow-play and ski destination with chain control on CA-168. Match your trip to whether you want the lake or the snow.

Yes, within reason. Camp Edison accommodates RVs and is the most big-rig-friendly option at the lake, with full-hookup and electric sites, though specific site lengths vary, so check the site details when you book. The Forest Service campgrounds, Dorabelle and Swanson Meadow, are tighter and better suited to mid-size rigs. The bigger consideration is the drive: CA-168 climbs steeply and winds from the valley to the lake, so take it slow in low gears with a heavy rig and mind your brakes on the descent. Many big-rig owners make the climb once, set up at Camp Edison, and day-trip from there.

Yes. The surrounding Sierra National Forest offers free dispersed camping along Forest Service roads in the high country toward Huntington Lake and Dinkey Creek, which is ideal for self-contained rigs willing to skip hookups. Swanson Meadow is a small first-come Forest Service campground just up CA-168 from the lake. You will need a California Campfire Permit for any stove or fire in the national forest, and you should pack out everything and come fully stocked since there are no services. For free camping, the national forest is your option; the developed lakeside campgrounds are all reservation-based in summer.

The lake itself is the centerpiece, with boating, water sports, paddleboarding, and trout and bass fishing, plus marinas and rentals in the village. Beyond the water, the surrounding Sierra National Forest has hiking, swimming holes at Dinkey Creek, and giant sequoias at the nearby McKinley Grove. Higher up CA-168, Huntington Lake at 7,000 feet adds sailing and wilderness trailheads, and China Peak Mountain Resort brings skiing in winter. The village of Shaver Lake has restaurants, a general store, and outfitters. It is an easy place to mix lake days, mountain hikes, and quiet evenings around the fire.

Mostly no. Shaver Lake sits at 5,400 feet and gets real Sierra snow, so the Forest Service campgrounds close from late fall through spring, and Camp Edison scales back or closes its season as well. CA-168 runs under chain control in winter, and the area pivots to snow play and skiing at nearby China Peak. If you are planning a cold-season visit, confirm directly with Camp Edison about winter operations, carry chains, and watch road conditions, because mountain weather can change fast and access depends on the snowpack. For full-service RV camping, plan a trip between late spring and early fall.

Shaver Lake is roughly 50 miles northeast of Fresno and Clovis, about an hour and 15 minutes up CA-168, the Sierra Highway. There is no interstate access; CA-99 through Fresno is the nearest freeway at the base of the mountain. The drive climbs steadily from the San Joaquin Valley floor to the lake at 5,400 feet, with a steep, winding section above the town of Prather. It is a manageable but real mountain drive, so plan extra time with a loaded rig. The upside of the climb is the payoff: you trade valley heat for cool pine forest and a clear mountain lake.

Very much so. Camp Edison is built for family camping, with a swim area, store, and easy lake access, and Dorabelle has long been a popular family Forest Service campground. The lake is calm and swimmable in summer, with rentals for kayaks, paddleboards, and boats, and the shallow coves are good for kids. Add fishing, easy forest trails, and the giant sequoias a short drive away, and there is plenty to keep a family busy for a week. The cool mountain nights are a relief from valley heat. Just plan ahead, because the family-friendly sites are exactly the ones that book up first.

Yes, Shaver Lake is a boating lake and a popular one. There are marinas and launch facilities in the village, with rentals for boats, kayaks, and paddleboards if you do not bring your own. Camp Edison sits right on the water, which makes launching and lake access easy from your campsite. The lake allows motorized boating and water sports along with fishing for trout and bass. As with any California reservoir, check current launch fees, any inspection requirements for invasive mussels, and lake levels before you go, since reservoir levels can vary by season and year. For a lake-and-boat RV trip, Shaver is a strong pick.

The main RV base is Camp Edison, a 252-site lakeside campground run as a Southern California Edison concession, with full-hookup sites in one section and electric sites across the rest, plus a dump station, store, and showers. The public alternative is Dorabelle Campground, a Forest Service campground of about 68 sites right at the lake with water and vault toilets but no hookups. Swanson Meadow is a small primitive Forest Service option up the highway. For most RVers the choice comes down to Camp Edison for hookups and amenities or Dorabelle for a simpler, cheaper public site by the water.

Partly. Camp Edison has 252 sites, and the full-hookup sites with water, sewer, and electric are a specific block, sites 133 through 175. The remaining sites have electric hookups only. To book a full-hookup site you need an RV equipped with water, sewer, and electrical connections. The Forest Service campgrounds at the lake, Dorabelle and Swanson Meadow, have no hookups at all, just drinking water and vault toilets. So if you want full hookups at Shaver Lake, target the 133 to 175 block at Camp Edison and reserve as early as you can, because those sites are the first to go.

Camp Edison opens summer reservations on the second Monday of January at 8am, and it uses a randomized lottery: everyone who is online when booking opens is placed in a random order rather than a first-click race. Summer weekends and holidays fill almost immediately, so come in with several backup date ranges and be flexible on site number. There is a two-night minimum and a fourteen-night maximum stay. If you miss out, Dorabelle Campground at the lake books separately through Recreation.gov and is your best public backup. Plan this one in January, not the week before your trip.

Camp Edison sites generally run in the $40 to $70 a night range depending on hookups and season, with full-hookup sites at the top end and summer weekends commanding peak rates. Dorabelle and the other Forest Service campgrounds are cheaper, typically around $30 to $50 a night for a site without hookups. Free dispersed camping in the surrounding Sierra National Forest costs nothing if you are self-contained and carry a California Campfire Permit. The lake is a popular, in-demand destination, so the value play is the public Forest Service sites or a shoulder-season trip rather than a peak summer holiday weekend.

June through September is the prime season for warm, dry weather and full services, with cool nights thanks to the 5,400-foot elevation. Our favorite window is September: the days stay warm, the summer crowds thin out after Labor Day, the fishing is good, and rates ease before the seasonal closures. Spring is quiet but cold with high water, and campgrounds only reopen as the snow melts, usually by May. Winter shuts most camping down and turns the area into a snow-play and ski destination with chain control on CA-168. Match your trip to whether you want the lake or the snow.

Yes, within reason. Camp Edison accommodates RVs and is the most big-rig-friendly option at the lake, with full-hookup and electric sites, though specific site lengths vary, so check the site details when you book. The Forest Service campgrounds, Dorabelle and Swanson Meadow, are tighter and better suited to mid-size rigs. The bigger consideration is the drive: CA-168 climbs steeply and winds from the valley to the lake, so take it slow in low gears with a heavy rig and mind your brakes on the descent. Many big-rig owners make the climb once, set up at Camp Edison, and day-trip from there.

Yes. The surrounding Sierra National Forest offers free dispersed camping along Forest Service roads in the high country toward Huntington Lake and Dinkey Creek, which is ideal for self-contained rigs willing to skip hookups. Swanson Meadow is a small first-come Forest Service campground just up CA-168 from the lake. You will need a California Campfire Permit for any stove or fire in the national forest, and you should pack out everything and come fully stocked since there are no services. For free camping, the national forest is your option; the developed lakeside campgrounds are all reservation-based in summer.

The lake itself is the centerpiece, with boating, water sports, paddleboarding, and trout and bass fishing, plus marinas and rentals in the village. Beyond the water, the surrounding Sierra National Forest has hiking, swimming holes at Dinkey Creek, and giant sequoias at the nearby McKinley Grove. Higher up CA-168, Huntington Lake at 7,000 feet adds sailing and wilderness trailheads, and China Peak Mountain Resort brings skiing in winter. The village of Shaver Lake has restaurants, a general store, and outfitters. It is an easy place to mix lake days, mountain hikes, and quiet evenings around the fire.

Mostly no. Shaver Lake sits at 5,400 feet and gets real Sierra snow, so the Forest Service campgrounds close from late fall through spring, and Camp Edison scales back or closes its season as well. CA-168 runs under chain control in winter, and the area pivots to snow play and skiing at nearby China Peak. If you are planning a cold-season visit, confirm directly with Camp Edison about winter operations, carry chains, and watch road conditions, because mountain weather can change fast and access depends on the snowpack. For full-service RV camping, plan a trip between late spring and early fall.

Shaver Lake is roughly 50 miles northeast of Fresno and Clovis, about an hour and 15 minutes up CA-168, the Sierra Highway. There is no interstate access; CA-99 through Fresno is the nearest freeway at the base of the mountain. The drive climbs steadily from the San Joaquin Valley floor to the lake at 5,400 feet, with a steep, winding section above the town of Prather. It is a manageable but real mountain drive, so plan extra time with a loaded rig. The upside of the climb is the payoff: you trade valley heat for cool pine forest and a clear mountain lake.

Very much so. Camp Edison is built for family camping, with a swim area, store, and easy lake access, and Dorabelle has long been a popular family Forest Service campground. The lake is calm and swimmable in summer, with rentals for kayaks, paddleboards, and boats, and the shallow coves are good for kids. Add fishing, easy forest trails, and the giant sequoias a short drive away, and there is plenty to keep a family busy for a week. The cool mountain nights are a relief from valley heat. Just plan ahead, because the family-friendly sites are exactly the ones that book up first.

Yes, Shaver Lake is a boating lake and a popular one. There are marinas and launch facilities in the village, with rentals for boats, kayaks, and paddleboards if you do not bring your own. Camp Edison sits right on the water, which makes launching and lake access easy from your campsite. The lake allows motorized boating and water sports along with fishing for trout and bass. As with any California reservoir, check current launch fees, any inspection requirements for invasive mussels, and lake levels before you go, since reservoir levels can vary by season and year. For a lake-and-boat RV trip, Shaver is a strong pick.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Shaver Lake.